The Gregorians
by Mirabitur
Summary: There is a new set of twins in class 1-A. While these girls are initially a mystery, they meet the Host Club in a series of misunderstandings. After meeting these interesting characters, the Host Club finds itself in want of two new members- whether the girls like it or not. OCxKyoya
1. Chapter 1

As Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya were walking down the hall on their way to set up for the Host Club, they could hear faint strains of music coming from the, aptly named, third music room. The twins glanced at each other and Kyoya paused in what he was writing in his notebook, an imperceptible frown gracing his lips. The door easily swung open on its well-greased hinges, allowing them to better listen to the music floating through the doorway.

"Hm…" Kyoya said. "Salut d'Amour. Interesting." He made a small note in his book before stepping into the room. The Hitachiin brothers quickly followed suit, stepping quietly while they glanced around music room 3.

Their eyes were immediately drawn to the figure seated by the grand piano in the center of the room. She cradled the neck of a cello with her left shoulder, elegantly gliding the bow across the strings, her body swaying with the movement. Her hair was twisted in an intricate braid over the opposite shoulder, a deep black that seemed to glimmer in the low lighting of the room. She played beautifully. They tensed momentarily, expecting her to break the serene atmosphere of the room by looking at them and ceasing to make her music, but she never wavered in her movement. They glanced closer and saw that she was so consumed within her music that her eyes had closed, blocking out her surroundings.

The boys glanced away from the girl, continuing their perusal of the space, and discovered another interesting find.

On a couch, only a few feet away from the cellist, was another girl, almost identical to the first. She lay curled up, one arm reaching up to cushion her head and the other flung over the back of the couch. Her face was not as relaxed looking as they might have expected, but they quickly forgot that detail when they, once again, had mischief on the mind.

They had only managed to cross half of the room when the beautiful cellist reached the end of her song. She took a deep breath and then opened her eyes, coming out of her music-induced trance. Her eyes immediately honed in on the Hitachiin twins, and they narrowed when she saw that their trajectory would lead them to the girl resting on the couch.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are you doing?" She asked, her tone expectant and ever so slightly suspicious. The twins froze. She gently lay the cello on the ground beside her chair and, keeping her bow out in front of her, walked up to the twins, who were looking at her in trepidation.

"I have this practice room booked." She stated bluntly, her eyes daring them to refute her statement. They blinked at her, this time in surprise.

"Pardon me?" Kyoya asked, finally drawing attention to himself as he stepped out of the shadows.

"This is a music room, is it not?" Queried the girl. "Music rooms are for playing music. I did not see a sign-up sheet in order to reserve the room, so I made a new one and posted it outside the door. I reserved a spot for my sister and myself from 3:40 to 4:30 and, if you look at the time, it is only four." She said, pointing at a clock on the wall. "Now, since I know that these two ginger tricksters only have trouble in store, I am going to kindly ask you to leave. My sister has only just gotten to sleep, and I would prefer that no one undo all that hard work. The door is that way." She said, making a theatrical bow and gesturing to the door with her bow.

Through the door that she had so kindly pointed out came the remaining members of the Host Club. All four of them pulled up short at the sight of a bow in their path.

"Julia and Jessica Gregory." Kyoya noted, looking down at his little black book. "Born April 13th, currently students in class 2A. Both have exemplary records and have become well known in certain circles for their talents in Music and Dance in the case of Julia, and various art forms in the case of Jessica. Daughters of Ayame Takashido and Lance Gregory, their parents decided that they would finish high school here at Ouran."

Julia's eyes widened.

"How did you- you know what, never mind. Are you going to leave us in peace or aren't you?" She said, frustration clear in her tone.

"I'm sorry, Miss Gregory, but I'm afraid I cannot do that." Said Kyoya, looking not at all sorry. "You see, the Host Club has permanent reservation of this room. You are, however, free to continue to use the space and instruments provided, so long as you do not interrupt club activities." Julia looked up at him, frustrated, before her shoulders went slack and she sighed in acceptance of the new situation.

"Excellent." Kyoya said, his glasses flashing in the light. "I hope you enjoy your stay."


	2. Chapter 2

"Excellent." Kyoya said, his glasses flashing in the light as he nodded to the shorter girl. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

Julia's eyes narrowed at Kyoya's expression. She was _sure_ that it was a smirk. As the two brunettes faced off, the resident red-heads wandered off to inspect the beauty sleeping on the couch.

The two boys looked down at her curiously. Her eyes were flickering underneath her lids and her breathing was ever so slightly raspy. One of the twins reached out a hand, the pointer finger out in preparation to poke the girl's face. Before he could make contact, however, a sharp _SMACK_ echoed around the room. Julia, ever aware of her twin sister, had utilized the bow in her hand as a weapon, rapping the boy sharply across the knuckles.

"Hikaru!" The other twin cried, his hands rushing to cradle that of his twin. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kaoru." Hikaru said, turning to glare at Julia.

"Was that really necessary?" Kaoru asked, his eyes narrowed. Julia gave them an unimpressed look before her hand darted out, sharply jabbing each of them in the stomach with the tip of her bow. Both boys let out grunts of surprise and pain, drawing the attention of the rest of the room.

"How did that feel?" Julia asked sharply. The twins grimaced. "Yeah, doesn't feel all that nice, does it? And you're even awake and actually able to defend yourself." She turned to look down at the sleeping face of her younger sister. "She isn't." Julia turned back around, a glare on her face. "Not only is it incredibly rude to invade someone's personal space like that, let alone a stranger, but to do so when that stranger is sleeping? That is a faux pas of the highest degree!" Julia shook her head and glanced down. "And I thought this place was supposed to be high class…" She mumbled to herself, causing several of the others in the room to bristle in offence.

The twins looked at each other for a moment, holding a silent conversation consisting of facial twitches, before Kaoru spoke up. "We apologize." He stated simply. Julia looked at them, gauging the sincerity of the words, before nodding in acceptance and sitting down by her sisters head.

"Besides," she said in a gentle tone, running her fingers through the girl's hair. "Jessica really needs her rest. Her health hasn't been the greatest lately, and she has been having trouble sleeping." The twins shared a look, understanding the protectiveness that one sibling has for another. They gave up their quest to bother the dreamer on the couch and instead turned their efforts to the one that would, no doubt, give them more entertainment.

"So, Julie" Hikaru asked, sticking his face uncomfortably close to hers.

"It's Julia."

"Whatever. Julie, how'd you end up here? You're not even in uniform…" Kaoru said, glancing up and down the shorter girl.

"What even is this?" Hikaru asked, taking two fingers to delicately pinch a corner of the girls sweater, as if afraid that it would get him sick. The twins continued on in their search for entertainment, circling Julia while poking and heckling her. Behind the group lay Jessica, sleeping not-so-peacefully on the couch.

Her nose twitched. Her fingers grasped and released the cushion beneath her. Her eyes fluttered.

Julia's salvation came in the form of a heavy but familiar weight across her shoulders and chest. Jessica had stumbled from the couch in a daze, her innate awareness of her twin alerting her to the discomfort Julia was feeling. Jessica gave her sister a slumping and heavy hug before looking at the two troublemakers before her, giving them a glare that caused the hair on the back of their neck to stand on end.

"My Julia," Jessica muttered, somehow managing to have her tone be petulant, cute, and strangely threatening at the same time. She kept hold of Julia for a couple more moments, making sure that the twins had gotten the message, before slumping back to the couch, flopping down, and promptly passing out again.

"Hmm." Kyoya noted, scribbling something down in his little black book.

The Hitachiin brothers glanced at each other before deciding that it was perhaps not the best idea to 'tickle the sleeping dragon'. Instead they meekly sat down on the couch across from the girls, watching them quietly.

"Juli-chan?" Came a quiet voice from Julia's side. She glanced down to see a cherubic little blonde boy clutching a stuffed rabbit to his chest.

"Yes, dear?" Julia asked gently.

"I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni. Class 3A. You can call me Honey. Aren't you in my math class?"

Julia looked down at the little boy - no, wait. He was older than she was, she mustn't think of him as a child, no matter how angelic his face seemed as he looked up at her. She nodded silently, waiting to see where he was going with his question.

"But why isn't your sister in class with you? And how are you in my class if you're only a second year?"

Julia raised her brows at his questions before smiling slightly. "Jessica and I were tutored in math and we both excelled. When we took the entrance exam for Ouran, it was decided that we would fit better in the higher math class."

"But what about Jessica?" Honey asked, cocking his head to the side cutely.

"Jessica is in our math class as well." Julia stated simply, her eyes dancing with mirth.

Honey opened his mouth, about to ask another question, when a large hand rested itself upon his shoulder.

"Yes, Takashi?" He said, gazing up at his taller companion. "Oh!" He said, turning his head quickly back to Julia. "This is Morinozuka Takashi, but you can just call him Mori." Mori looked down at the blonde.

"The boy." He said simply. Ah, a man of few words, Julia thought to herself. Honey's eyes lit up in understanding, his gaze quickly switching between Julia, Jessica, and Mori.

"But her hair!" He exclaimed. Julia smiled.

"Jessica has a fondness for wearing wigs." She stated, fingering the end of her own braid. "She decided that she would wear one for the first week of school, dressing as a boy just to see how people would treat her versus me. And now the week is up."

"But don't you think that people will be mad at her for lying about her gender?" Honey asked.

"I asked her the same thing. And she just replied 'those who mind don't matter and those who matter won't mind.' And that was the end of it. She knows that she will always have me. And, after all, High School isn't forever."


	3. Chapter 3

Tamaki looked at his wrist watch and gasped dramatically. "Quick!" He shouted, rushing around the room. "It's almost time to open, get into place!" Julia stared, bemused, as the men quickly migrated to different spots in the room, forming a sort of semi-circle around the door. Tamaki looked over to Kyoya and nodded subtly. Julia squinted her eyes and saw Kyoya stealthily press the button of a remote in an impressive show of legerdemain. In sequence, the doors were swept open by some hidden device and a discrete mechanism caused rose petals to spray in the opening of the door. 'Hm,' Julia thought to herself. 'Fancy.'

A rush of girls in floofy yellow dresses flooded into the room, migrating to different hosts. They all seemed to know exactly where they wanted to go. Apparently the host club was the type to attract regulars. In the rush, Julia had somehow managed to get swept up with the crowd, ending up somewhat dizzily by the little blonde boy and tall gent that she had spoken to earlier. 'Honey and Mori,' she reminded herself. Well, sitting in a nice chair was better than being trampled by a hoard of rabid highschool girls on any day of the week ending in 'y'.

The girls immediately started chattering away at the boys, Honey adding his own enthusiastic repartee to the mix while Mori made sounds of acknowledgement at varying intervals. Julia picked up one of the cups of tea set out on the table and sipped at it calmly, listening to the hubbub around her.

"Who's that girl?" Julia heard one girl ask another.

"What girl?"

"The one on the couch." Were these girls not capable of whispering? If they had to gossip, couldn't they do it at least a little more discretely?

"I don't know. I've never seen her before."

"My goodness, what on earth is she wearing?!" Julia's eyes flicked to the girl who had spoken, narrowing ever so slightly. What was wrong with Jessica's attire, exactly?

"And why is she sleeping? Shouldn't she be visiting a host?" The comments were getting more and more derisive and Julia's knuckles were turning white as she gripped her tea cup.

"That's Jessi-chan!" Exclaimed Honey, having heard the girls not-so-quiet conversation. "She's Juli-chan's sister!" The rest of the circle followed Honey's gesture and turned their attention towards Julia.

Julia looked back at all of them. Slowly, her eyebrow began to rise.

"Yes?" Julia asked in an almost challenging tone.

"Could you tell us about your sister?" One of the girls asked. Julia, a veritable expert in Bullshit, could detect the hint of falsity in her tone. This girl didn't want to get to know Jessica. She wanted to rip her to shreds.

"Jessica is my twin sister. She is very bright and good at art." Julia said simply, sipping at her tea once more. The girls leaned forward in anticipation, waiting.

"Yes? And?" One of the girls said, getting a little frustrated at the lack of cooperation.

"What else should I say?" Julia asked. "You should get to know her yourself. Now, if you will excuse me." Julia nodded politely at the girls before setting her teacup down and standing up. To be completely honest, Julia hadn't actually had a particular destination in mind when she had left the table. She just didn't fancy staying in the circle of gossipmongers any longer.

She wandered over to the only table that wasn't overflowing with yellow dresses, and it just so happened to be the one Kyoya was at.

"So," Julia said as she sat down. "How 'bout dem finances?"

Kyoya gave her a look of utter confusion. "I beg your pardon?" He asked, setting down his pencil and calculator.

"I said, how 'bout dem finances?" Julia repeated. "The numbers. Are they in the red or the green? Are they adding up?"

"What makes you think I was working on finances?" He asked, turning to his little black book.

"Even if the calculator and pencil didn't make it obvious, I know accounting paper when I see it, and very few things can make a man like you get a line of frustration in their forehead quite like finances can." Julia said, smiling lightly. Kyoya sat back in his seat, a scrutinizing look on his face.

"A man like me?" He queried, looking for more information.

"Yes." Julia replied simply. "A man like you." Before Kyoya had a chance to grill the girl further on her answer, a voice called for her from across the room.

"Hey, Jules." It was Jessica.

About the same time that Julia had gone over to visit Kyoya, Jessica had woken up from her nap. If she was being completely honest, she had not been expecting anybody to be in the room…. They had booked it until 4:30, after all. After sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Jessica stood, stretched, and started to make her way to the table that looked like it was the most calm. Just as she approached the table, the young man sitting at it stood up. This movement placed him just in front of Jessica, almost touching her. Jessica looked at the boy. She blinked several times. She then leaned the top half of her body away from the boy and called out to her sister.

"Hey, Jules," she called. "I've found someone that's actually shorter than us!" Julia stepped up to Jessica's side. "And it's even a boy!" Jessica exclaimed at her sister. The two girls squinted at the top of the boys' head. It was only a small difference in height, but they were pleased that they, at 5'1.25'', were able to be taller that least someone in their age group.

"Actually…. Wait…." After a moment's pause, Jessica turned back to the boy and leaned down, speaking quietly into his ear.

"Pardon me, but do you identify as male, female, or non binary?" Jessica asked.

"And which pronouns do you prefer?" Julia continued, whispering into the other ears. The boys face grew a slightly distressed expression before gazing pleadingly at someone behind the girls. They both turned to see Tamaki standing behind them, a look of panic on his face.

"Alright, Ladies," he said grandly, waving his arms around. "I am afraid that our time together has come to an end and we must bid each other goodbye. Oh, our parting is such sweet sorrow, but I hope we can meet again tomorrow." He said, giving a sweeping and over-exaggerated bow. The girls tittered and blushed as they made their way out of the doors. Tamaki, however, prevented the Gregory sisters from making their exit quite yet.

"I am a girl and I identify as such." Said the girl in boy's clothing, once the room had been fully cleared of guests. "My name is Fujioka Haruhi, in class 1A." The girls both looked at each other before turning to Haruhi and introducing themselves in unison.

"Julia and Jessica Gregory, at your service, Madame." They said, giving a theatrical bow in sync.

"Now that you know Haruhi's secret, I'm afraid you can't leave." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses.

"Excuse me?" Jessica asked, turning on the taller brunette.

"I mean to say that you must join the Host Club so that we can be assured of your silence." He said, glasses glinting.

"Join?" Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In case you hadn't noticed, both of us are of the female persuasion. We could hardly host guests." Julia continued, gesturing up and down her body.

Kyoya grunted before responding. "Yes, well, you can always serve as waitresses, refilling drinks and ensuring the happiness of our guests."

The twins glanced at each other, holding a conversation made up of facial twitches and hand gestures. They turned to Kyoya.

"Hmmm, how about no," they said in unison.

Seeming to not have heard their response, Tamaki immediately began shouting about how his 'two newest daughters' were so cute, attempting to grasp them both in a spinning hug. In his attempt, he only managed to grab onto Jessica, who was not quick enough to get away from clutches of the madman.

Tamaki spun them both in circles, squealing incoherently with happiness. Julia was simply standing as a bemused onlooker until she heard a sound that nearly made her heart stop.

Wheezing.

Jessica was wheezing.

Quicker than anyone would have ever expected her to move, she stuck her foot in between Tamaki's legs as he spun, effectively tripping him. As he went tumbling to the floor, Julia caught her sister, laying her on her back before quickly laying her hand on her chest. It was trembling as Jessica struggled to take breaths. Her hands grappled at her chest, as if attempting to pull open her rib cage in an attempt to get more air into her lungs. Julia pulled her sister's hands away from where they had been clawing at her collarbone. Each rasping gasp sent a spike of ice through Julia's heart.

Julia whirled around, looking for Jessica's purse. She brought that thing with her everywhere, it had all of her necessities, including her inhaler. The purse had fallen from Jessica's shoulder when the idiot 'king' had picked her up, and Julia quickly rifled through the top pocket to find what she needed. Uncapping the medicine, she waited until her sister was about to attempt her next breath before putting the inhaler to her lips, pressing the top down.

After giving her sister two puffs, she waited to see if it had taken effect, cradling her sisters head in her lap. Her head still bowed over her sisters, Julia addressed the members of the Host club as they stood around the girls, speechless.

"First you try to force us into your little club." Julia starts, her voice carefully controlled. "And I have no doubt that you would have used blackmail if you had any, Mr. Ootori." Julia turned her gaze to Kyoya, and he almost gasped at the torrent of emotion he could see in her eyes. "But then you have the audacity to not only invade my sister's personal space after I specifically told you not to, but you almost kill her? Needless to say, we have no interest in joining your little Host Club." The venom in the small girl's voice had them all rooted in place as she gathered up their things and then helped her sister out the door.

They might possibly, hypothetically, have miscalculated their actions.

Maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day dawned bright and early for the Gregory sisters.

Jessica rubbed her eyes and yawned, glancing around to see what had woken her up. Julia's alarm. Of course. The two girls always set their own alarms, both familiar with their own habits in the morning. Julia often set periodic alarms, so she was able to reach out and turn them off and have the illusion of getting more rest as she went back to sleep. On some mornings she would actually get up at the first alarm and take a shower.

Jessica, on the other hand, simply set one alarm in the morning. As much as she might detest the sound, she would always get up and start the day. The only times she was not quick to wake was when she was ill, which happened more than either of them would like.

Jessica turned over and went back to sleep.

Julia turned off her first alarm and did the same.

.:o0O0o:.

About an hour later, Jessica's alarm went off, signaling to both girls that it was time to actually get ready for the day. They dressed and gathered their things quickly before gathering in the kitchen. It was Tuesday. This meant that it was Jessica's turn to prepare their breakfast while Julia prepared their lunch boxes.

Despite coming from a wealthy family, both girls had been taught the skills necessary to live on their own. They were Gregorys, after all. In their family, it was traditional to spend at least a year living without the benefits of wealth before they were considered 'of age.' This was to give the family an understanding of the value of money and know what life was like outside of the lap of luxury. While one year was the minimum, more was always better, so Jessica and Julia planned on spending two years living in their small apartment that was within walking distance of Ouran.

Jessica was feeling particularly lazy this morning, so breakfast consisted of cheerios with bananas cut up over them. Nothing fancy, but they liked it all the same. The two girls made their way out the door after taking their respective medications and putting their shoes and coats on over their clothes, which, today, consisted of a tailored version of the male uniform. They made their way down the front walk of their second floor apartment, which looked something akin to an American Motel that the sisters had stayed in at some point in their youth.

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they bumped into someone who had crouched beside the railing to tie their shoe.

"Oh, I'm so sorry"

"Excuse me, I didn't see you there!"

Both Julia and the other person said at once. The other person looked up and all three of them froze.

It was Haruhi Fujioka.

Jessica opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped, realizing it was probably not in her best interest. When she had attempted to greet her beloved twin earlier that morning, all that had come out was a grotesque rasping accompanied by a sharp pain in her throat and upper chest. Jessica looked at Julia imploringly, trusting her sister to voice what she could not. Before the elder Gregory could so much as open her mouth, Haruhi spoke up.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her tone devoid of suspicion.

"We live here," said Julia, now thoroughly confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here too." Both girls looked at each other, at a loss of what to do. They stood there for several moments before Jessica tugged on Julia's shoulder, pointing at her watch. The tableau unfroze, and the group relaxed, deciding that they would simply walk to Ouran together.

.:o0O0o:.

When they arrived at the school, the twins went one way and Haruhi went another. Jessica and Julia made their way to their first class: Introduction to Manufacturing. When they reached the classroom, they hurriedly exchanged their dress shoes for a hardier boot and placed their things in small lockers that were set along the wall. After reaching their seats, the girls pulled out their binders for the class and began their assignment for the day: drawing out designs for their first project.

It was only 7:35, and class wouldn't be starting for another ten minutes, so it wasn't really any surprise that there wasn't really anyone else in the classroom.

Because of the fact that they hadn't seen anyone in the classroom when they arrived, and their seat afforded them a direct line of sight to the door, they were under the impression that no one else was in the room, since no one had entered while they had been sitting. That impression was, unfortunately, mistaken.

Jessica had been working diligently on her design for several minutes when her concentration was broken by the arrival of a little paper flower as it landed neatly between the two girls. They glanced at the flower, at each other, and then to the rest of the room in confusion. Unfortunately, during the time they had been sitting there, several more students had arrived and sat down. The girls were left with no culprit, as none of their classmates were looking towards them for a reaction- it seemed like none of them had seen the arrival of the origami flower. They looked at each other and shrugged. Jessica, after several moments of ponderance, picked up the flower and tucked it behind her ear before turning back to her work.

In the back corner of the room, dark eyes closed under a furrowed brow. His plan had not worked.

.:o0O0o:.

Second period: Physics.

Just as the twins had settled down in their seats and begun taking out their supplies for class, a blonde blur swept through the room. Tamaki, in his enthusiasm, rushed towards the unsuspecting twins at the back of the classroom. He honed in on Jessica and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, my darling daughter! I never meant to cause harm to my delicate flower! Would you please forgive me?" He continued babbling on in the same fashion for a while longer, with Jessica growing more uncomfortable in his arms. Finally, Jessica could take it no longer and she shoved her classmate off of her person and huddled down in her chair. Tamaki was heartbroken and slouched into a corner. He was…. Cultivating mushrooms? How strange. Well, It was certainly a unique hobby.

"What exactly did you think was going to happen?" Asked Julia, giving the blonde a droll look. "You nearly killed her yesterday and she doesn't even know you- of course she isn't going to want you hanging all over her." The rest of the people in the class gasped and immediately began whispering to each other.

Tamaki had almost killed someone yesterday?

What was going on?

.:o0O0o:.

Third period: Homeroom

When the time for homeroom came around, the Gregory sisters were granted some reprieve. Tamaki had decided to take this time to call a quick meeting of the host club.

"Alright, men!" He declared, slamming a fist into his hand with determination. "We have a problem. Jessica and Julia Gregory will not join our club. We need to figure out why and get them to join so we can make sure they keep Haruhi's secret!" Tamaki said, somehow forgetting that _he_ was the reason that the twins had run out yesterday.

.:o0O0o:.

In every subsequent class, at least one member of the host club would bombard the twins with requests, demands, or threats to join the Host Club.

In history, Tamaki threw himself in front of the girls, begging them to come to the host club.

In Japanese Literature, Kyoya spoke to them, glasses flashing and little black book in hand. Sadly (for Kyoya, at least) the Shadow King did not have sufficient information on the girls, so he could not blackmail, coerce, bribe, nor manipulate them.

The next period was one that the Gregorys did not share. In her music class, Julia was irritated to see Tamaki sitting at the piano at the back of the room. She ignored all attempts he made to talk to her, concentrating on the lecture the teacher was giving. While it was an informal class, she didn't want to miss any of the information.

Jessica, on the other hand, had her Art class that period. She cheerfully put in her headphones and got to work on her project, a simple clay pot. She didn't even notice when Mori wrote a note on a paper towel and passed it to her, she simply used it to wipe her fingers clean of the brown smears.

The twins met each other in the courtyard for lunch. Luckily, they were several minutes ahead of the rush, so they were able to pick a good seat in the lunchroom. They were left in peace for that period, since the host club was mobbed the instant they stepped into the room.

The next period served as a reprieve to both girls, since none of the members of the Host Club were in Julia's Dance class or Jessica's Jewelry class.

Julia stepped lightly into the dance room, leaving her belongings by the door. She quickly surveyed the class, before heading over to a free spot by a tall brunette along the far wall. She waved at the girl, who returned the gesture tentatively.

"Hi, I'm Julia," she greeted, smiling before settling down into a stretch.

"Miyoko, nice to meet you," the girl responded in a tone that suggested otherwise. Used to that sort of reception in a new ballet class, Julia was unperturbed; she mentally noted the girl's name and turned away, looking for friendlier faces. By that time, the rest of the students had arrived and seated themselves in various clumps around the room. Some girls shot curious glances at her, and a couple went out of their way to introduce themselves, but most of them ignored the new student in the corner.

The heavy _thud_ of a door closing caught everyone's attention, silencing the quiet chatter which had previously filled the room. A tall, sharp-looking woman had entered, and was striding over to the barre in the front of the room. "Greetings," the woman said briskly. "I am Miss Zykova, for those of you who have not taken a class with me before. Now, let us begin."

.:o0O0o:.

When Jessica stepped into the Jewelry classroom, she was somewhat disappointed to see that her usual spot had been taken by a gaggle of giggling girls. She sighed and retrieved her materials from her locker before glancing around the classroom. _There, in the back corner_! There was only one person sitting at the table meant for four. Jessica plopped down and began laying out her materials.

"What are you doing?" Came a low voice to her right. Jessica glanced over and saw a somewhat hunched figure in a black cloak. The voice was male, but she didn't know much more than that, since the hood hid the speaker's face.

Jessica, still unable to speak, smiled brightly and pointed to her metal file in explanation.

"No, I meant what are you doing _here_?"

Jessica cocked her head in confusion.

"Haven't you noticed? No one ever sits with me. They all avoid me." The man didn't sound angry or particularly upset at his words, treating them like simple facts of life. Jessica realized that simple, nonverbal cues were only going to get her so far in this conversation, so she pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

' _Why are they avoiding you?_ ' She began, sliding the paper over to her table-partner.

"They fear being cursed." He responded.

' _Cursed?_ ' She began to slide it over to him before drawing it back and scribbling another sentence. ' _Who exactly are you?_ '

"My name is Nekozawa Umehito. I am the leader of the Black Magic Club." Jessica raised her eyebrow in incredulity.

' _They have that kind of club here? I thought they would be a little too… Posh for that here._ '

"Yes, well, the school needs to cater to the students' wants as well, since we pay so much to come here. They'd hate it if we were to take our business somewhere else."

The two probably would have continued their paper and voice conversation had the teacher not walked by and realized that Jessica wasn't working. (Neither was Nekozawa, but the teacher didn't dare point that out.) They both quickly went back to work in companionable silence before Jessica slid one last note to Nekozawa.

' _I'll listen if you want to continue talking._ '

.:o0O0o:.

Next period: Math 3.

It was the last period of the day. Finally. Honey and Mori, in a last ditch effort to get the girls to come to the club, asked once more. Julia shook her head. Honey utilized his secret weapon: his puppy dog eyes.

Waiting.

Waiting.

His eyes were starting to water from how long he had been holding them open.

Why wasn't she caving? This always worked! Any other girl in the room would have been blubbering to him, saying _of course_ they would come to the Host Club. _Anything_ for Honey!

But not these girls. The only response he got was Julia saying "I'm sorry, but no."

Honey was floored.

He was about to turn on the water works, since no one had _ever_ been able to resist tears (No one had ever been able to resist his puppy dog eyes either, but that fact was ignored.), but the teacher came in and began class.

 _Ahh, math_. Julia sighed. Math was, at least, consistent. Unlike her sister's health or the behavior of her classmates, she could always predict what math was going to do. After 45 minutes of what some might have called torture, the bell rang to signal the end of the day. The two girls had packed up their bags and were talking when Honey and Mori came over.

Jessica was just about to shoulder her backpack when it was taken out of her hands by a giant of a man. He was the one that Julia had been talking to earlier, wasn't he? The one that-!

The one that was currently sweeping her off her feet, in the most literal fashion imaginable. Jessica's feet were knocked out from under her and she was suddenly in the air and moving. Not 'flying through the air with the greatest of ease' like an acrobat at a circus, despite what her stomach might be trying to tell her. Mori had come up behind her and scooped her into his arms, bridal style, and she was now laying _very_ uncomfortably in his grasp with her bag clutched to her chest.

Julia knew that Jessica was less than happy, and could see that Honey was about to do the exact same thing to her, so she turned around and waved her finger at him threateningly. "Do not even try it, little man." She said, nearly growling at him. He grinned, pleased that he wouldn't have to force the second year to come with them.

Julia followed her sister and Mori, knowing that this would not end well.

Jessica was uncomfortable.

Jessica was _very_ uncomfortable. She could feel her chin start to wrinkle in distress, the way her throat started to close up. There were tears prickling in her eyes. She couldn't hold it in any more.

She whimpered.

It was more of a sob, really, with how wet it was. A cry of distress. It happened far too often for Jessica's liking, but whenever she was uncomfortable and wasn't able to fix the situation or escape it, she would start crying. It was embarrassing, really, but it was simply how she dealt with those kinds of situations. How her anxiety dealt with those situations.

She looked up at the giant holding her in distress, whimpering again.

The giant looked down at her.

A corner of his mouth tilted up.

A smile? A smirk?

The giant winked

Jessica closed her eyes, made herself as small as she could, and pretended that none of this was happening.

*/ **sorry, would have updated sooner, but jules was taking her time with the dance class bit.**

 **How do you like it so far? Are there bits you like? Bits you hate? Something you want to see?**

 **Feel free to tell us in a review! /***


	5. Chapter 5

The strange procession continued through the school. As they walked through the halls, Julia could practically feel the stares boring into her. What a sight they must make, a giant of a high schooler carrying the slack body of her sister while she and the short, blond upperclassman trailed behind. Julia allowed her hand to rest against one of Jessica's ankles as it dangled from Mori's arms, letting her sister know that she was not alone.

Honey scampered in front of them just as they reached the doors of music room three, pulling on the ornate handle and allowing the doors to open.

It was… Blue.

Blue streamers swathed the room, shimmering in the muted blue and green light. Candles flickered on the tables, illuminating intricate patterns of seashells. In the back of the room, a large stand was set against the back wall holding up a cushioned throne fashioned after a shell.

Mori set the younger twin on the ground. Before she was able to get her bearings, she and her sister were whisked away by two ginger whirlwinds. Or, fitting with the theme, riptides. The male twins rushed the female twins into an antechamber, slapping bundles of fabric against their hands and saying, with matching grins, "Put these on."

Anyone else would have hurried to comply, whether it was fear of the Hitachiin twins or simple instinct, but the Gregory sisters were outliers in almost every way. Instead of making motions to do something, anything, with the clothes in their arms, the two girls blinked up at the boys.

Blink.

Blink Blink.

The boys looked down at them, their confident smirks melting into slight confusion. They blinked at the girls.

Blink.

Blink Blink.

Jessica pursed her lips.

The boys tilted their heads in confusion. The girls tilted their heads and raised their eyebrows in challenging expectation.

"Well?" Said the Hitachiin twins.

"Well, what?" Said the Gregory twins.

"Put these on."

"No."

They stood together for several moments, watching. Then, with a sudden movement, Hikaru and Kaoru lept at the Gregory sisters with costumes in hand, intent on _making_ them comply if they weren't going to change themselves. They started tugging at the girls' clothes, trying to get them off, and the girls were defending themselves from the two strangers attempting to undress them.

"RAPE!" Jessica screamed. It was only reasonable, after all, since she had in no way consented to this attack on her person. As she had anticipated, this caused the boys to stop in their attempts. Just as they were about to open their mouths, presumably to defend themselves, Kyoya yanked open the curtains hiding the dressing room.

"You two had better stop whatever you're doing to make her scream like that, we have a reputation to uphold, after all." He said before pausing to take in the scene before him. Kaoru had grabbed Julia and was frozen in the attempt to take her shirt off to exchange it for a shell bikini top. Julia's hands were in front of her, attempting to push him off. Hikaru had Jessica in his grasp, but she had curled herself into the fetal position, so he had only succeeded in pushing her shirt up her back. Kyoya sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, glasses flashing.

"You might as well all come into the main room. It seems we should have a talk before doing any costume changes."

.:o0O0o:.

 **Thoughts? Feel free to leave a review to tell us what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shout out to Jellytaco: yes, there are, indeed, two of us. I, Jessica, am the owner of the account, and my wombmate/roommate Jules helps me write the chapters. Going through college for engineering is tough, so we update when we have enough written and a good stopping point. We (the authors) are, however, greatly flattered that you hypothesized that we were 'a duo of great minds'**

 **I would like to dedicate this chapter to Jellytaco. Without you, this chapter would probably have taken at least another week. This was all written in the past hour...**

Chapter 6

The two sets of twins trailed Kyoya out of the dressing room, the boys looking chastised while the girls looked faintly irritated. Kyoya motioned for them to sit, and they did so while he stood with his back to them, scribbling in his little black book.

Jessica and Julia shared a look. They might have to take a peek at that notebook at some point. Who knows what kind of info he has on them. 'Know thy enemy' and all that.

"We would like for you to join the Host Club," the brunette said, finally turning to face the girls. The sisters shared a look before shaking their heads in unison. Kyoya sighed. He had anticipated this response.

"What if I were to offer you a deal?" This got a response. The two girls cocked their heads in question. What kind of deal did he have in mind?

"I noticed that the two of you were unable to afford uniforms. In return for working at the Host Club, we could provide you with uniforms." Kyoya truly expected this to work. From his research, he had discovered that the girls lived in the same apartment complex as Haruhi and her father. That, coupled with their current outfits, led him to the conclusion that they were poor. Jessica and Julia were wearing outfits that resembled the boys uniform enough to not stand out, but it was clear that it wasn't the official uniform. They had taken women's suit jackets over a white blouse and blue tie and paired them with dark slacks. Yes, they fit in well enough, but they obviously couldn't afford the uniform. They could easily work for the club and make enough money to repay them for the uniform.

"Bribery, Mr. Ootori?" Julia asked, the side of her lips curling up in a smirk.

"At least do your research," Jessica spoke up, leaning forward and flashing Kyoya a grin that held a dark undertone. Her voice was low and raspy, rattling deeply in her chest and throat. Yes, dark humor would probably be a good description of her tone.

"I am afraid that I am disinclined to accept your…. _kind_ offer." Said Julia sardonically.

"In that case," Kyoya said, sighing and pushing up his glasses. "I'm afraid that I do not know what to do with some of the less savory information I have in my repertoire…" He trailed off, allowing the silence to further his menacing implication. Kyoya sat down in a nearby armchair, crossing his legs elegantly before waiting, sure that he had won. Instead of conceding like he had expected, the girls glanced at each other before Jessica stood, walking over to Kyoya. By this point, the entirety of the Host Club had pretty much given up on doing anything else and was simply watching the standoff.

Jessica stood in front of Kyoya's chair, looming over him. "Prove it, little man." She said, glaring down at her classmate. Kyoya stood, showing that, while she might be slightly taller when he was seated, he truly towered over her 5'2'' frame. He raised his eyebrow at her. They stood in silence.

When Kyoya failed to produce any incriminating information, Jessica smirked and then returned to her sister, flouncing ever-so-slightly as she took her seat. "That's what I thought, little man." She said.

The members of the Host Club standing in the background looked at each other with wide eyes. This girl… This girl had just gone head to head with _Kyoya_ , the _Shadow King_. And she had _won_! Who was this girl? And could she do it again? Because they wanted to commit the image of Kyoya's frustrated expression to memory.

Julia stood and put her face very near to the Shadow King - well, as near as she could with 9 inches between their heights. She squinted at his face. Kyoya pushed up his glasses, allowing the glare from the lenses to hide his discomfort. He was not used to being on the other end of such scrutiny. Julia returned to her sister and they held a conversation full of facial expressions and hand gestures. The Hitachiin twins tried to follow, but it was their own language. Kyoya could recognize the similarity of some of the hand gestures to those of American Sign Language, but he didn't know very much about it, so he couldn't translate. Finally, after a conclusion was reached, the girls turned back to the waiting Vice President.

"You want us to join the Host Club." Julia stated. "Why." It really wasn't a question, more of a demand for information. Kyoya, for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour, sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"You two would make very profitable members," He started. "Julia's skill in instruments could allow her to play music in the background. Jessica, with her skill in art, could create items to be sold on the website. You two also provide a different take on the twin relationship, a different dynamic, if you will, and that would draw in more customers." He said, flipping through his little black book.

"It's decided, then," Julia said. "We agree to some - _some_ \- of your _requests_ , on two conditions. One, we aren't forced to do anything we aren't comfortable with. And two, we are allowed to use this music room whenever your host club is not using it."

Kyoya reached forward and took his computer off of the coffee table, tapping a few random buttons. Presumably, he was checking whether this arrangement would work out. Julia sighed.

"I know you're not actually typing." Jessica said, calling him out on his attempt to save face and pretend that he had any kind of leverage. Kyoya sighed and glared at the younger twin, who smiled cheekily in response.

"Yes, I suppose that those conditions will do." He sighed. Again. "Now, if you have agreed, please go get dressed in today's cosplay." The girls nodded and began heading towards the changing alcove.

"Oh, and Ootori?" Julia said, turning around. Kyoya raised one eyebrow in question. "I'll want that contract in writing."

Kyoya sighed, now very frustrated, and nodded.

Julia smiled, pleased, and continued towards the dressing room.

Gregorys: 1

Ootori: 0


End file.
